12th GRADE ENGLISH SUMMER ASSIGNMENT 

AS-Level English Language & A-Level English Literature 

ASU Preparatory Academy, Phoenix, AZ 
INSTRUCTOR 
Ms. Ashley Yap amyap@ asu.edu ayapasuprep.weebly.com  
 
You are receiving this Required Summer Assignment because you are registered for AS-Level English 
Language or A-Level English Literature for the 2018-2019 school year. In preparation for our work in the 
upcoming year, this summer you will be required to critically read and respond to a published 
memoir/autobiography of your choice and write a short personal essay about you and your experiences 
with writing up to now. Please review the following assignments and contact Ms. Yap ASAP if you have any 
questions. 
 
PART A: REQUIRED READING ASSIGNMENT 
Step 1: Select a published, novel-length memoir or autobiography to read this summer. Read and 
make thoughtful notes on your chosen book BEFORE the first day of class.  
You can select the memoir of a famous celebrity, an athlete, a political figure, a writer, an actor… the options 
are practically endless! Be sure that the book is of novel-length and that it is written by the person himself or 
herself. If you need some ideas, you can find a brief list of popular memoirs and autobiographies on the back 
of this page to help you. If you aren’t sure about your book choice, email Ms. Yap ASAP. Remember to make 
notes as you read; your annotations can be on separate paper, sticky notes, or electronic. 
 
Questions to consider in your annotations: 
- What makes this person’s memoir/autobiography interesting and/or unique from others? 
- What does the writer do to make his or her story memorable? What writing techniques stand out to you? 
 
Step 2: Create a one-page representation of the entire book using words and pictures. Bring this 
with you to share on the first day of class--Monday, July 30, 2018. 
Your one-pager should fill one entire 8.5”x11” page, use color and space thoughtfully (no blank white 
space!), and include the following information: 
● title, author, year of publication 
● 4-5 sentence summary of content 
● 1 sentence describing the author’s purpose 
● 2 important/memorable quotations (with explanations of why they are important) 
● pictures/drawings that visually symbolize the content of the text 
 
PART B: REQUIRED WRITING ASSIGNMENT 
I want to get to know you and your thoughts about writing a little better. In a 300-500 word (1-2 pages) 
short personal essay, tell me about your experiences with writing in your life up to now. You can use the 
following questions to get you started. Type your essay using MLA format. 
General Topics/Questions  Writing in School  Writing for Yourself 

Do you think of yourself as a writer?  What do you remember about  Did you ever write for fun? 
Why or why not?  writing in school? What feelings or  What kinds of writing did you do? 
How much did you see writing and  memories do you have?  Did you keep a diary? Blog? Lists? 
reading around you growing up?  What is something you’ve written  Letters? Cards? Poetry? Songs? 
What did you see?  that you were proud of?  Plays? 
What memories does you have of  What is something you’ve written 
places or people related to writing?  that mattered to you? 
 
Submit your essay electronically to Ms. Yap by Monday, July 30, 2018 at 11:59 PM.   

 
I highly recommend that you obtain your copy of your chosen memoir/autobiography through a used bookstore or your local public 
library! The Phoenix Public Library system has multiple locations and a wide variety of books. Go to 
https://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/Locations to find the location nearest you. You can also find many texts available for free online. 
Please check Ms. Yap’s website for links and resources. 
 
A Brief List of Popular and/or Well-Known Memoirs and Autobiographies 
 
Abagnale, Frank W.   Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake 
Alvarez, Julia  Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA 
Angelou, Maya    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 
Bauby, Jean-Dominique   The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 
Birbiglia, Mike  Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories 
Bourdain, Anthony  Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly 
Bryson, Bill   A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail 
Burroughs, Augusten  Running with Scissors 
Buzzell, Colby   My War: Killing Time in Iraq 
Dahl, Roald  Boy: Tales of Childhood 
Day, Felicia  You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) 
Didion, Joan   The Year of Magical Thinking 
Dillard, Annie  An American Childhood 
Douglass, Frederick   Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave 
Eggers, Dave  A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius 
Fey, Tina  Bossypants 
Foer, Jonathan Safran   Eating Animals 
Frank, Anne  Diary of a Young Girl 
Fuller, Alexandra    Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight 
Gantos, Jack  Hole in My Life 
Gilbert, Elizabeth  Eat, Pray, Love 
Grandin, Temple   Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism 
Griffin, John Howard   Black Like Me 
Grogan, John    Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog 
Halpern, Justin  Sh*t My Dad Says 
Hornbacher, Marya    Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia 
Kaysen, Susanna    Girl, Interrupted 
Keller, Helen  The Story of My Life 
King, Stephen    On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft 
Lipsky, David  Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point 
Lorde, Audre    Zami: A New Spelling of My Name 
Luttrell, Marcus   Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 
Malcolm X   The Autobiography of Malcolm X 
Mandela, Nelson  Long Walk to Freedom 
Martin, Steve   Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life 
McBride, James  The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother 
McCourt, Frank    Angela’s Ashes 
Moody, Anne  Coming of Age in Mississippi 
Nafisi, Azar   Reading Lolita in Tehran 
Northrup, Solomon   Twelve Years a Slave 
Obama, Barack   Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance 
Poehler, Amy   Yes Please 
Powell, Julie  Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, One Tiny Apartment Kitchen 
Salzman, Mark  True Notebooks: A Writer’s Year at Juvenile Hall 
Satrapi, Marjane  Persepolis I & II 
Sebold, Alice   Lucky 
Sedaris, David   Me Talk Pretty One Day 
Strayed, Cheryl    Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail 
Vincent, Norah  Self-Made Man: One Woman’s Year Disguised as a Man 
Yasso, Bart  My Life On the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon 
Yousafzai, Malala   I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban 
Zailckas, Koren  Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood